Farmfact 1-40

Farmfact 1-40

Deferred grazing is the practice of holding over pasture that has been considered surplus to animal requirements in spring. It is then grazed at a later date when a shortage of pasture occurs, this is usually in the summer/autumn.

Aim:

FeedMatching feed supply to herd requirements using a low-cost method of pasture conservation.

Increase profitabilityDeferred grazing can be used either to reduce the amount of silage/hay made on the farm or as part of a nil conservation system. Nil conservation, including deferred grazing, was compared with a traditional conservation system on the Taranaki Agricultural Research Farm at 3.7 cows/ha. The nil conservation system produced similar milkfat, but more protein per hectare. The extra income and reduced costs resulted in an increase in profit of $360/ha.

Pasture renovationDeferred grazing can allow pasture reseeding; this results in significant increases in ryegrass population. No increase in other grasses, weeds, or clover component of the pasture should occur. Pastures which have reseeded produce an extra 15% in the year following deferring.